Fork in the Road: All I know is that I know nothing

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The first thing one must acknowledge if one
ever wishes to grow and develop as a person
is to not only forget everything one supposedly
“knows,” but further to outright accept the
fact that quite frankly (paraphrased from the
wise words of good old Socrates) one knows
“nothing at all.”

Of course, being that you’re all students at a
highly acclaimed educational institute, this
sounds like a rather ironic statement.
However, there is a great difference between a
“knowledgeable” individual and one who
merely has an impressive collection of facts
and/or figures (depending upon your savvy)
under his/her belt.

So then what exactly defines “knowledge”?
It’s seemingly a simple question, but one with
a rather complex assortment of potential
responses depending upon your philosophical
persuasion.

I suppose the easiest way to consider this
quandary is to first come to terms with the
notion that there is no such thing as “knowledge”
in a singular sense, but rather there are
multiple “knowledges,” each of which prove
suitable and important at different times and in
different places. Ergo, there’s good reason as
to why the concept of measuring “intellect”
has been called into question for both gender
and cultural biases.

For example, you may possess an impressive
4.0 GPA and be able to articulate the laws
of physics, but that skill would not serve you
well if you should find yourself stranded on a
desolate island in a fight for survival against a
kid who grew up in the Bronx. Let’s take this
analogy further and assume your opponent has
been tossed from orphanage to foster home
and back again, not to mention has spent
months at a time living on the streets fighting
for any scraps he/she can get. Your book
smarts – a so-called merit of “intelligence” (at
least according to North American standards)
– would prove a pathetic adversary to his/her
“street smarts.” In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch
to say that you’d likely try very hard to
befriend this individual in hopes that he/she
would teach you how to stay alive until your
SOS call was received.

So let’s start with this. Lesson 1: NEVER
assume you are better, smarter or more capable
than another individual, because truly circumstances
dictate what’s valuable in terms of
“knowledge” far more than inherent talent.

Lesson 2: DON’T pigeonhole yourself into
believing there is only one form of intelligence.
Just because those of us living on this
side of the globe value certain traits in academics
and the working world does not mean
that they are the most important nor most
valuable traits to possess when it comes to
navigating life effectively.

In sum, some of the most ignorant incompetent
assholes I’ve met in my day have been
the most highly educated. I rest my case.

Interrobang

The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd in London, Ontario and distributed throughout the Fanshawe College community.